I'm fine with Celestia.

Celestia loves me.

Nothing is wrong.

Twilight Sparkle wakes up in the middle of the night. As she takes in her surroundings she realizes... she may not be alone.

A thousand years ago in Equestria, Luna's frustration and desperation has been building for years and years as her social and political isolation grows, but just before Luna's jealousy and resentment can turn into murderous hatred against her sister, a new event triggars Luna's mental collapse and pushes her over the edge. When Luna by circumstance finds herself alone in Celestia's room she reads her sister's diary out of curiosity and discovers all of the disparaging criticism that Celestia has leveled at her over the years about how much of a nuisance Luna has been to her, but has been too polite to say directly to Luna's face.

Luna and Celestia had always supported and stuck with each other all their lives. Even when the common-ponies critisism and shunning of her was at its worst, the knowledge that her sister loved her kept Luna going. The realization that nopony, not even her own sister valued her or thought she was fit for the throne completely shattered whatever remained of her fragile psyche.

And so Luna just gave up...

She gave in...

If no one wanted her there...

Then she wouldn't stay there...

She would leave.

In the wake of another hedonistic sleepover, the Cutie Mark Crusaders wile away the last of their weekend lounging about the clubhouse, reading comics, listening to music and stuffing their faces with junk food. However, their after party revelries come to a screeching halt when an unscheduled rainstorm rolls into Ponyville that turns creatures into twisted nightmares. There is much they don't know about the situation but one thing is clear: never touch the rain. Now stranded without adults by a storm seemingly without end, the three must try to survive in a leaky shelter on nothing but the leftovers of their sleepover aftermath. As the waters continue to rise, the status of Ponyville or even the Apple family, just yards away, remains unknown.

A comfy horror story based on childhood memories of rain, floods, parties and classic kids' games spawned from overactive imaginations.

After her sister's banishment, Celestia realized it was her failure that led to her sister's fall, and she vowed to build a better nation that her sister would have wanted. Here, Nightmare Moon is neither myth nor legend; everyone is taught about what truly happened to Princess Luna, and that the two are one and the same. Through her millennia of atonement, Celestia upholds her sister's visions for a better Equestria, reviving her lost legacy.

Now, at the 1000th summer sun celebration, the town of Ponyville is ready. Eager to witness the historic event, everyone's there to show their love and appreciation as they welcome the Princess of the Night's return. Would Nightmare Moon still seek retribution and bring nighttime eternal? Or would she reunite with her long-lost sister, graciously returning to her throne? It doesn't matter to Celestia. She just wants to see her sister once again.

One day, Twilight finds a stallion staring at a hole in the wall. He seems strangely fascinated with it.

there is a moment

once in every pony's life

when the time comes

to shed one's baby tail

don't worry, sweetie

it won't hurt

This statement (consisting of several pages, each signed by me) is true to the best of my knowledge and belief. I make it knowing that, if it is tendered in evidence, I shall be liable to prosecution if I have wilfully stated in it anything which I know to be false or do not believe to be true.

Dated 05-05-1013

This is a story I wrote four years ago. I penned it all in one fevered session, and though I've not posted it until now, I refuse to edit it in any part at this point. I'm not the same person I was when I wrote it. Please, enjoy- or don't- the lost work of yesteryear.

It was during a trip to Maine that it happened. The quietude and salt air of the little town I stayed in were a boon to my health, and I enjoyed the isolated atmosphere of the hamlet greatly. Not long after my arrival, I chanced to walk through the town's dilapidated, aging streets, on the hunt for interesting bits of architecture and history. I wanted to catch a glimpse of the famous little seaside towns of New England, which are not long for this world if the progress of all-consuming Boston remains unchecked.

After a time, I found myself in front of a house with peeling paint and loose shutters. This was hardly unusual; the thing which caught my attentions was the wraparound porch. It was covered in old, yellowed tomes. I ventured to step up and investigate this queer domicile, and found that it was a used bookstore. As I am a voracious reader, capable of devouring a paperback like an anaconda its prey, my heart leapt with excitement. I spent a time inside, perusing the little shop. It was almost impossible to navigate the building, so full was it of creaking bookshelves loaded with manuscripts of all shapes and sizes. Being as I am six-foot-three with broad shoulders, it was a bit of a challenge to pick my way through the musty stacks. Even the stairs were jammed with books, to the point of being nigh-unusable. Some were relatively recent, but the majority were decades old, and there were a handful which were even older. I acquired a number of first-edition copies of books which I proudly display on my shelves to this day.
But the most important acquisition I made in that odd little shop was a collection of H.P. Lovecraft stories. I'd heard of the man, of course, and read "Call of Cthulhu". But that night, as the howling sea winds buffeted my windowpane in the growing darkness, I read for the first time his tales of quiet horrors lurking in the backcountry of New England. And it was from these tales that I derived the story which now sits before you, begging to be read with all the weight of the years it spent on my hard drive. Consider it a loving and fearful tribute which merely apes the style of the true master; it is not a direct copy of any particular story, but borrows from many. I have tried (and, I hope, succeeded) to make it more than just Lovecraft with ponies. But I've said too much already; enter, dear reader, if your nerves are steeled and your mind is unfrayed. I cannot guarantee the same will remain true for long...

Roseluck goes to Sugarcube Corner to enjoy some banana bread.

Twilight Sparkle is sure that Rarity and Rainbow Dash are having relationship issues, primarily because they keep inviting her to join them on all their romantic dates.

Commission for the ever-lovely Kits. Artwork by Maxima.

Read this story and others on my website, Hollow Shades! You can also support me on Ko-Fi!